Cats and Dogs
by Zeroan
Summary: Blake doesn't understand why everybody loves Zwei so much, and she can't seem to get anyone to explain it to her. The only way she can find the answer is by herself...


Contrary to what most people thought, Blake Belladonna was not an emotionless girl. She could understand why her classmates would think that: she rarely spoke a word to anyone outside of her small circle of friends, and even then, she was definitely not the most talkative of the group.

And while the strangers didn't, her friends knew she had all the reason to act like she did: Blake had grown up outside the kingdoms, and they could only imagine what that was like. She never said anything about her childhood, much less her parents, and the few times they had asked, it was pretty clear she did not wish to discuss these matters, even with her teammates.

Despite all that, there was warmth to Blake. The way she would read a book in the cafeteria, ignoring all the noise the students made, just because it was where their friends hung out, or how she would make dry jokes, not to hurt the ones she directed them at, but more to amuse herself and anyone around… Underneath it all, the brunette was just like any other person her age, with all their dramas and joys.

However, there was one thing _nobody_ understood about her.

-x-

"Why do you hate Zwei so much?!" Ruby whined.

The redhead was standing on the middle of the team's dormitory room, staring up at Blake with a pout on her face and her arms crossed. The faunus girl was lying on Yang's upper bunk bed, only her eyes visible as she looked down at her leader in a manner that would be very comical, if the situation wasn't so frustrating right now.

"I don't hate him." The brunette stated "I just don't appreciate his presence in this room, or anywhere else near me."

"But… Why? You're like, super accepting of anything that isn't racist towards faunus!" Ruby complained "You act almost as bad as Weiss when it comes to Zwei! But even _she_ loves him!"

Blake stared at her friend quietly. The dog was sitting on his hinds legs beside the younger girl, looking up at her with his tongue sticking out, like he was the happiest creature on Remnant. The brunette's eyes narrowed.

"I just don't like him, that's all."

Yang, who was sitting on Blake's bed, shook her head amusedly.

"I know what's wrong here." She revealed, smiling devilish "Cats and dogs are mortal enemies. Blake is just acting on her instincts."

"That's not true, and slightly racist." Blake said "I may have cat ears, but that doesn't mean I act just like one."

"Nope, I don't believe a word you say!" Yang refuted "You also like tuna _a lot_, are attracted to laser pointers, and I swear I've seen you licking your hands sometimes."

"Whatever. My disliking of Zwei is completely rational."

Blake turned to face the wall and stayed quiet.

Ruby looked at Yang for help, but the blonde simply shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what could make their friend like the dog. It was only after a lot or arguing that they managed to convince her to at least let him stay in their room, but it was becoming increasingly clear she would never actually befriend him.

The redhead sighed and picked up Zwei, who barked happily and licked her chin. Ruby giggled.

"Come on, boy, let's go for a walk."

She left the room with her pet, chatting away like he was just another person. After a while, Yang knocked on the upper bed, drawing Blake's attention.

"What?" The brunette asked sharply.

"Do you have a litter box?"

"I _will_ scratch you."

-x-

"_Ruby_."

Blake's voice was so serious, and there was a note of anger behind it that was so rare to hear, that her teammates stopped whatever they were doing and looked at her. Ruby slowly finished eating a cookie and gulped.

"Yes?" She asked in a meek voice.

"Can you explain _this_ to me?"

The faunus handed her leader Gambol Shroud's sheath. Ruby looked at it curiously, and immediately found what was wrong with it: there were numerous bite marks all around it.

"Uh, well, it isn't supposed to look like this." The redhead said slowly.

"Now smell it." Blake commanded.

Ruby approached her nose to the sheath, and immediately regretted the action. She had never smelled something so disgusting in her life.

"Dust-" The redhead coughed "This is horrible!"

"And I know what creature is to blame…" Blake muttered.

She frowned and pointed at Zwei, who was lying down on his belly in the middle of the room. When he noticed her attention on him, he barked and raced towards her.

The brunette shrieked and jumped to Yang's bed. The blonde gasped in surprise and almost fell to the ground; the only thing that stopped her was her partner's fierce hug.

"Uh…" Yang said "It's a dog, not a Grimm."

"Grimm don't do such evil things to my weapon." Blake whispered, eyeing Zwei, who was trying to jump to her, but obviously failing.

Weiss got up from her bed and picked Zwei up. She sat on a chair and deposited him on her lap, rubbing him on the head while glaring disapprovingly at Blake.

"He's the cutest little dog in the world." She reprehended "I will you not let you dishonor his name by comparing him to Grimm."

The brunette shook her head in wonderment. She understood Ruby and Yang liking the animal, but _Weiss_? It had taken months for her to become friends with anybody in Beacon, but the moment she saw that dog, she was enamored with him. Sometimes, it seemed she liked him even more than their actual owners!

"You're all corrupted by his influence." Blake accused "I am the only sane person in this team."

"Then we're all happily corrupted." Yang decided "Can you stop hugging me now?"

The brunette hesitantly released her friend, but didn't drop to the ground. Yang sighed.

"Well, I guess I'm sleeping in another bed today."

-x-

Blake ducked under a Beowolf's strike and slashed its middle, making it fade to smoke as it died. She raced forward, cutting through a horde of the creatures with finesse.

The team was on a normal training mission on the Emerald Forest. A large group of Beowolves were spotted in a region of the forest, and Glynda Goodwitch thought it was a good idea to test the team against them. The problem was that the four girls had already fought against White Fang, so this wasn't much of a challenge. Of course, the professor didn't know that, so she couldn't be blamed for the waste of time.

Blake skidded to a halt and looked around. Ruby and Weiss were fighting together, the scythe-wielder dashing and jumping to nearby monsters, with the heiress providing her support with her glyphs and Dust.

Yang was distant from the others, fighting on her own against a large quantity of Beowolves. Many first years students would be hard pressed to come out of that uninjured, but the blonde was smiling confidently. Fire exploded around her and her eyes became red, and then the creatures' fates were sealed.

Blake smirked and sheathed her sword, certain that there were no more Grimm for her to fight. However, she suddenly felt a heated feeling on her back, and when she turned, there was a Beowolf burning on the ground behind her. Zwei was standing on top of it, looking at her happily.

"I had a lot of Aura that it would never have broken through." Blake stated "This changes nothing."

She crossed her arms and looked away. Unfortunately, her gaze met with Glynda's, who had raised an eyebrow at the sight of the student speaking with a dog capable of inflaming himself at will.

"I killed all the Grimm I needed to." Blake said awkwardly "The others can take care of themselves."

"Indeed. Excellent job, Miss Belladonna." Glynda complimented "You may take your pet and rest."

"He-he's not my pet!" The girl exclaimed "He's a menace."

She narrowed her eyes at the dog, who just continued to look at her happily.

"Of course, how could I be so mistaken?" The professor deadpanned "We are all doomed."

-x-

_I can't believe I'm doing this_.

Blake cringed as Zwei ran laps around her before taking off to roll on Beacon's campus' grass.

This was an unfortunate event, to say the least. Earlier in the day, Ruby had engaged in a not-so-wise competition with Nora Valkyrie: they were determined to discover who could eat more pancakes in five minutes. As large as the redhead's appetite was, she was definitely not as experienced with pancakes as JNPR's resident lunatic was. Yang had to carry her sister to a doctor after she vomited for the fourth time.

Everything would have been fine if Weiss didn't have to leave too. Halfway through the day, she had received a cellphone call from her family. She rarely had contact with them, and Blake had a feeling she wasn't actually thrilled to meet them, but she had to go anyway, but only after telling her teammate to take care of Zwei.

However, not all hope was lost. She knocked on JNPR's room, but after a few minutes, finally remembered they were out on a mission.

She went back to her room and started to read, but not a half hour passed before the dog began to whine. Blake shushed him, which stopped him for at least three seconds before he started again. She closed her book and decided to take him on a walk.

The brunette couldn't understand what the dog was so happy about. Did the grass smell good? Did he just like the fresh air? What could make a creature so happy it would roll on the ground repeatedly while panting and barking? Nonetheless, she actually found the sight pretty entertaining. Maybe interacting with Zwei could at least be amusing, she thought.

She quickly changed her mind when he started doing a very disgusting, different action on the grass.

-x-

Ruby yelled painfully as her foot hit the ground. Blake clucked her tongue and tried to support her friend better, but once again, the redhead yelped when pain shot through her leg.

"Aw!" The leader pouted "This hurts too much, Blake!"

"Well, maybe you should have thought better before getting your leg broken." The brunette noted.

"I have no regrets!" Ruby declared proudly "I put myself on the line of fire for Zwei's safety, and there could be no greater reward than his unending loyalty!"

"That's very wordy. Have you been reading from my library?"

"Maybe."

Blake frowned, realizing she would have to take some precautions in relation to some books, for both her sake and Ruby's.

"Anyway. Do you really think it was worth it to take that Boarbatusk's hit in place of your dog?" The faunus asked "It's not like it would have seriously injured him."

"He's my pet, and most of all, my friend." Ruby said "You don't let friends get hurt, even if it isn't serious."

"If it was me, I would have let him take the hit as punishment for ruining my weapon's sheath, my shoe, two pieces of clothing, _and_ peeing on my bed." Blake retorted.

"You just don't understand my love for Zwei."

The redhead shook her head sadly, as if there was some big truth her friend was missing. She took another step and yelled again. Blake sighed and lifted her, until she could carry her in her arms. It was almost comical, and they were both glad nobody passed by them as they reached their room.

When they entered it, it was empty, except for Zwei. Blake ignored the dog and deposited Ruby on Weiss' bed. The pet jumped to his owner and lied down by her side, licking her face playfully, which made the redhead giggle happily.

The faunus watched the interaction, mystified, before going to her own bed and picking up a book. After a while, the room's silence was replaced by the sound of turning pages and Ruby's soft snores.

Suddenly, a low whine occurred near Blake. She diverted her gaze from her book and noticed Zwei, his head on her bed, staring at her quietly. The brunette stared back, trying to understand what he wanted.

_It's almost like he's grateful that I helped his owner… But what does he expect of me?_

The faunus extended a hand tentatively and patted the dog's head. Zwei emitted a happy sound and started to climb up the bed, but Blake was quick to push him back to the ground.

The dog's ears lowered sadly and he returned to Ruby's side. Blake began to read again, but now she was grinning unconsciously.

-x-

"No, Zwei, you don't get another cookie." Ruby said for the sixth time.

The team was gathered in their room once again, studying. Or at least that was what they should be doing. Ruby was sitting on a chair eating cookies, and Yang was listening to music.

"You two should be _studying_. We have a test tomorrow!" Weiss complained.

"Nah." Was the sisters' response to that.

"I swear Blake and I are the only ones dedicated to class in this team." The heiress grumbled.

The faunus coughed and rearranged her history textbook so it better covered the novel she was reading. She had already studied a lot, but if she openly defied study time, all hell would break loose, so she had to turn to more secretive tactics.

"No, Zwei, you don't get another cookie." Ruby said for the seventh time.

"Seriously, I don't get it!" Weiss started again "Why are you in Beacon if all you want to do is relax and eat?"

"It's cool fighting Grimm." The redhead answered.

"_What?!_" Yang yelled, not bothering to remove her headphones "_I can't hear you, Ice Queen, this music is too good!_"

"Dust, of all the people I could have ended up with…"

A few minutes later, the cycle began anew.

"No, Zwei, you don't get another cookie." Ruby said for the eight time.

"Okay, that's enough-" Weiss began.

"Ruby, can I have a cookie?" Blake interrupted.

Ruby and Weiss looked at their friend oddly. Even Yang hanged her head upside down to stare at her partner.

"What?" The brunette asked "Can't I be hungry like anyone else?"

"Not for cookies." Ruby muttered "You hate cookies."

"I don't hate cookies." Blake refuted "Can you give me one?"

"…Okay…"

The redhead threw her a cookie, which the faunus caught in midair. She stared at it for a few seconds, and under the pressure of her teammates' looks, took a bite.

"Delicious." Blake commented, resisting the urge to spit the food out.

She stopped eating as soon as her friends' interest in her faded. She looked at Zwei, who was sitting beside her owner, occasionally poking her leg with his nose to ask for a treat. The dog noticed her stare and approached her.

Blake looked around, making sure no one was watching, and offered the cookie to the dog. Zwei took it and ate it in a matter of seconds. He then barked and ran back to Ruby, who looked curiously at him.

"What's wrong, Zwei?" She asked.

"For Dust's sake, you dunce, can't you stay quiet-"

Blake winked to Zwei as Ruby and Weiss began arguing. The pet stuck his tongue out happily.

-x-

"_ZWEI!_"

Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs as the team walked through the streets of Vale. Her calls were echoed quickly by Yang and Weiss, while Blake simply looked around attentively.

"_ZWEI!_" Ruby repeated "Come on, boy, where are you?!"

"Are you sure he wasn't in Beacon?" Yang asked nervously "He might have been hiding in some bushes at the campus, or at a classroom.

"We searched _everywhere_, Yang!" Ruby whined "There's no way we missed him, and besides, the classrooms are all closed on the weekend…"

Weiss stopped and clenched her fists. She looked at her teammates angrily.

"I told you we should have gotten him a collar with a tracker, but you refused to do it!" The heiress accused "_No, Weiss, there's no way we could lose Zwei! He doesn't even know how to get to the campus on his own!_"

"Shut up, Weiss!" Yang exclaimed furiously "This is your fault! You were supposed to be taking care of him!"

"Well, _excuse me_ if I decided to take a _five minute_ nap!" Weiss shot back, although she looked pretty hurt by Yang's words.

Ruby sulked, her head hanging low. She seemed to be on the verge of tears, and when that happened, the search would be even more difficult. Blake stepped between the three and raised her hands calmly.

"Okay, I know all of you are worried about Zwei, but being angry at each other is not going to help." She said seriously "We need to stay focused if we are to find him."

"Y-yeah. You're right." Ruby agreed, hope sparking in her eyes.

Blake's stomach did a flip as she realized there was still something else she needed to say.

"I know this is hard to think about, but there is something else that might have happened…" The faunus spoke "The school is located on the edge of the Emerald Forest, on top of a miniature cliff. Zwei might have gone down the trail to the woods, or he might have fallen."

At those words, Ruby finally couldn't stop herself from crying. Tears started streaming down her face, and Yang was quick to pass an arm over her shoulders. The blonde looked at Blake with a mixture of anger and gratefulness. She wasn't happy about that possibility, but someone had to acknowledge it.

The faunus gasped painfully and stumbled back when Weiss stepped forward and slapped her hard. The heiress looked at her with tears in her eyes, pointing a finger furiously.

"Don't you dare speak like that, Blake Belladonna." The white-haired seethed "We all know you hate Zwei, but that doesn't make it acceptable for you to say he's dead."

"I don't hate him-"

"Don't. Lie!" Weiss screamed "You _want _him to be dead! So don't bother with helping us, just go back to Beacon and bury your miserable face in a stupid book!"

The heiress turned her back to the brunette and stomped away. Ruby sniffed and followed after her partner. Yang looked at the brunette apologetically before going after her friends.

Blake stood still, her face unreadable. She hung her head low, determination burning in her eyes.

-x-

Blake walked through the streets; her face raised high so that her nose was up in the air. She knew she was looking extremely stupid at that moment, but somehow, she didn't care.

Yang wasn't entirely wrong to say the brunette didn't share some similarities with actual cats. She ate tuna because she liked the taste, and also drank milk because she didn't like how many chemicals were put in today's sodas, but there were many things she got from her faunus heritage. Amongst those were her reflexes, her better night vision, and her heightened sense of smell.

As much as Blake tried, she never managed to remove Zwei's stench from Gambol Shroud's sheath. She had a nagging suspicion that the dog actually renovated the work every few weeks, but had never been able to prove it. For the first time, she was glad Zwei was so annoying: she had gotten a smell from her weapon, and now, she thought she could track him down.

Of course, the city was heavy with vehicles that released gases, so that made the search difficult, but she was pretty sure she was on the right track. And as it turned out, her plan worked wonders: after a few minutes, she saw the small figure of the dog walking a couple of blocks away.

Blake smiled and started toward the pet, but he had his back turned to her and didn't notice her presence. She waited for a car to pass and walked to the next block. When she looked again, her heart almost jumped out of her mouth. Zwei was crossing the road to the other side, in the middle of midday traffic.

"Zwei!" The brunette yelled desperately, standing on the street signaling to him.

The dog stopped and looked back at her, barking happily. The faunus' blood froze: she should have just kept quiet and hoped that he made to the other side unharmed. Now he was standing in the middle of the road, unaware of the danger he was in.

_He's gonna be run over._

"Zwei! Come here!" Blake yelled angrily.

The dog barked defensively at her tone of voice and started to retreat, right into the car's lane. Blake cursed under her breath, standing hesitantly. She saw a bus coming at high velocity, going straight for Zwei, and in a split second, made a decision.

The girl dashed, narrowly avoiding a car, whose driver honked at her angrily. She ran at top speed, knowing it was a question of seconds before the bus hit Zwei. Blake yelled with determination and reached the dog, taking him on her arms and diving to the side.

She felt a massive pain on her right shoulder, and the world seemed to spin around her.

She fell on the street, black dots darkening her vision.

She heard the sound of people screaming with surprise and terror.

She smiled when something licked her chin.

-x-

Blake woke up in a hospital bed, and was blinded by the bright white colors of the room. There was a woman beside her, who quickly noticed her opened eyes and touched her on the arm delicately.

"Hello, Miss Belladonna." She said sweetly "You're finally awake."

"I…" Blake croaked "Where am I?"

"You're on the Vale Central Hospital." The nurse answered "You were hit by a bus. Luckily, the only part that it hit was your shoulder, so there was no fatal injury. We've fixed your bones, but you should probably take care with using your right arm for a few weeks. You also hurt your head when you fell on the street, but there was no serious damage. Sincerely, you should be paying your Aura for most of the work."

"Thank you for the help, anyway." Blake spoke hoarsely.

The woman smiled.

"Your friends are waiting outside. They can come see you right now and bring water for your throat."

The nurse nodded and exited the room. After a few minutes, Ruby and Weiss stepped in and moved to the bed's side. The redhead handed her friend a cup of water, which she happily drank.

"How are you feeling?" The leader asked nervously.

"I'm doing okay." Blake answered "My shoulder hurts a little, but it's bearable."

"That-that's great!" Ruby blurted out "Blake, I… I… Thank you so much! You saved Zwei!"

The redhead squealed and hugged her friend, who smiled contently despite the pain she felt because of the act. When the younger girl backed off, Weiss looked awkwardly at Blake.

"I'm… _Really_ sorry about how I behaved that day." The heiress began "I was stressed and sad, and I lashed out on you even though you were just trying to help… I said some horrible things, and I want you to know I truly regret them. In the end, you were willing to put your life in risk for Zwei… I don't know if I would have the courage to do that."

"You would." Blake smiled "And you're forgiven."

Weiss went to hug her, but halted.

"Uh… It probably hurts if we do that…" She muttered "I shouldn't…"

After a few seconds, the white-haired girl seemed to arrive to a decision and leaned down to kiss Blake on the forehead. Then she retreated hastily and looked at the corner of the room, her face red with embarrassment.

"Is your arm gonna get better?" Ruby asked, meaning to break the awkward silence "I mean, it's not gonna fall off, right?"

"No, and thank Dust that's the case." Blake sighed in relief "I could never be a Huntress with only one arm, right? That would just be silly."

The girls laughed lightly at that thought.

"Anyway… Where's Yang?" The faunus asked.

"Oh! She should be getting here soon." Weiss told "She's got a surprise for you."

As if on cue, Yang walked into the room cheerfully, carrying Zwei on her arms.

"Hey, cat girl!" The blonde exclaimed "Glad to see you're better. Seriously, where would I find a sexy enough partner to substitute you?"

"I don't know, there are some pretty shady parts to this city that might help." Blake deadpanned.

Then she looked at the dog, and couldn't help but smile at his excited face. He was looking at the brunette, trying to free himself from Yang's hold desperately.

"Hey, boy." Blake muttered, patting his head "You sure know how to be spoiled, right? You eat everything, bite everything, you run off and almost die, but still, you get to enter a nice hospital."

"Hey, you don't know how difficult it was to get him in here! I had to wait for hours with him downstairs, until you woke up. They have benches made of _stone_ there." Yang complained "So you had better be grateful."

The blonde grunted with annoyance as Zwei struggled even more. Eventually, she just gave up and dropped him on Blake's bed. The dog looked at the faunus and tensed, expecting to be pushed off immediately. He barked with glee when, instead, the girl rubbed his back. Zwei lied down near her chest, pressing against her happily.

"Aw, I guess cats and dogs can coexist after all." Yang said.

"Hey, that's racist." Blake warned, but then she smiled "But don't worry, this is my fourth life out of nine, and I am not offended by that statement. I can't guarantee anything about my next incarnation, however."

The fours laughed joyfully, and talked for a few more minutes until the nurse came back into the room.

"Sorry, girls, visit time is over." She said "I need to make sure Miss Belladonna is stable, so the room needs to be cleared."

"Okay…" Ruby sighed "We'll visit you again tomorrow, Blake! Get better soon!"

"Don't strain yourself." Weiss warned sternly.

"Have fun digesting hospital food." Yang looked at the nurse "Uh, no offense meant, lady."

The blonde reached for Zwei and tried to pick him up, but the dog barked angrily and threatened to bite her.

"Bad boy!" Yang reprehended "You need to get out of here, _right now_!"

She tried again, but this time Zwei simply inched closer to Blake and refused to be picked up. Yang looked helplessly at all the people in the room. The nurse smiled kindly.

"Okay, Zwei can stay with his friend until tomorrow." She allowed "But this will be our little secret, okay?"

"Thank you." Blake said.

The girls finally left the room. The nurse looked at her patient, shaking her head amusedly.

"That's a pretty loyal pet you've got here." She complimented.

"He's not mine, actually." Blake corrected "But he's loyal anyway… I guess it took me a long time to repay that in kind."

"Yes, well…" The woman trailed off "Getting hit by a bus is hardly comparable to ruining your belongings and dirtying your home."

Blake smiled.

"You just don't understand my love for Zwei."

Then she hugged Zwei, and in a matter of seconds, fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

-x-

_In memory of Zeratul/Ozzy_

_ I don't know where you are right now, but I hope the people there don't give you identity crisis like I did. Try to stay dry this time, okay?_


End file.
